Hair today, gone tomorrow

They say a woman who cuts her hair is ready to change her life.
Do I agree? Absolutely.

So I did the big chop again, accidentally.
And by accidentally I mean...
I didn't wake up on the last day of 2016 thinking, 'today I'll cut my hair.'

Every woman has an emotional relationship with her hair, whether it's hers or she bought it. 

I'm convinced there are only two types of women, those who wear weave and those who don't. Excitement in my life has always come by virtue of whatever hairstyle is on my head.

I remember being in 10th grade, 16, and totally unsure of myself while trying to grasp an understanding of the young woman I was becoming. So I cut off all the relaxed hair on my head, leaving about 4 inches of coily kinks. The emotions ranged from excitement to discomfort. I searched the internet to see other black girls like myself with natural hair. At that time, there were about two forums. There were no popular black youtubers talking about hair in 2009.
There were no established hair care products except for carol's daughter.
 So I awkwardly wore my fro, then my braids consistently.

I remember discovering that my hair determined who approached me and how they approached me.
That discovery will forever play on the highlight reel of my life.
If I wanted corporate attention, I knew that straight mid length would be my goto.
If my desire was for strangers to refer to me as exotic, then I needed some dreadlocks aesthetic.

Fast forward to 2016, and as I stood in front of my bathroom mirror and held three faux locs in my hand, the voice inside screamed "Do it!"
I couldn't shake the feelings that it was now or never.

The singular question I've received since trimming my tresses is: "Why?"

The why is always silently followed by "why did cut off all your hair?" and audibly followed by "But I like it, it looks good."

So while I typically try to encourage you to live your best life through biblical insight, I think sharing part of my life is necessary at times.

So Why, did I, Obioma cut my hair.

Because someone suggested it, and for whatever reason, I couldn't shake the thought.

Because I truly wanted to take a leap of faith. I wanted to trust that something so permanent could be such a good thing.

Because I wanted freedom, freedom from weave, freedom from the cultural standards of hair.

Because I wanted to affirm my confidence. Was I really comfortable with everyone having access to my full face? Was I truly comfortable with people witnessing my every blemish and flaw? Was I actually confident in myself?

Because I wanted change. Ultimately, I knew there was no turning back. 

Cutting my hair is my victory cry for 2017.

Truly I'm excited. I know this year is going to be a year that is unforgettable by every account. I hold God at every promise, and wait longingly for the fulfillment of each and every one.

All my love,
Obioma

God and the Millennial

The millennial, the 20 something to early 30 something who grew up in the world of the first cellphone, the first portable computers and the Kardashians. If you looked up random facts about Generation Y, you would discover that we have the highest number of facebook friends, and we take the greatest amount of selfies. You would also discover based on whatever source you chose, that 50 % of us are uninterested in politics and 30% of us are religiously unaffiliated.

I distinctly remember the panic in the church as it became more and more evident that more of my generation no longer had an interest in church. Sermon after sermon analyzed why generation Y was forsaking the God of their fathers. I took the sermons in stride, obviously I was in church every Sunday, so clearly these issues did not apply to me.

If you've read my other blog posts, the picture should be clear by now: church girl, goes to college, rebels, remembers God, returns.
I became part of the same statistics that I had mockingly ignored.
My question  then became "why God?"
Other than the obvious answer ' the devil', why was my generation so thirsty for everything besides God. Why was my generation rebelling with such determination? Why did we constantly run away from the only thing that actually makes sense in this world?

The millennial is a unique group of people caught between the constant need for affirmation and the desire to stand out. We want so terribly to be accepted and at the same time we need to feel different,  unique and special. The infrastructure of our upbringing sets a foundation compromised partially of parents who are unsure of themselves in different ways, a world that glamorizes certain uniqueness and a global community where we now have a basis to judge our worth based on others.

Rebellion provides the perfect avenue to meet our need for unique attention. The millennial runs to the world to be accepted and runs from God for attention.  

Truth be told, we are a bunch of insecure people constantly trying to figure it out.
If you don't know the living God, you try to figure 'it' out by the world's standards. You seek wealth, physical aesthetics, material goods to affirm that you are somebody and that you have made it.
IF have a relationship with the living God, you struggle occasionally with feeling confident in yourself through Christ, but you always realize that Christ is your only standard.

The Lord wants the millennial to know that he is in constant pursuit of you.
 There's no mountain too high, or valley too deep where you can escape the love of God. (Romans 8:39) The faithfulness of God means that his love is ever abiding, and he desperately yearns for a tangible relationship with each and every one of you. There's a reason you run from one vice to another and there's a reason your insecurities never quite flee.

The truth is, we are the generation that God desperately yearns for. There are prophets, apostles, teachers, pastors, evangelists that are so busy chasing the approval of the world, that their anointing is left unattended.

With the accomplishments of my generation, the globalization, the modern technology, the awareness.... I always wonder what if we were all completely sold out for Christ.

As 2017 dawns, I challenge you to be resolute about Jesus. Stop running.

All my love,
Obioma